国际英语新闻：Russia closes down all checkpoints in South Ossetia

MOSCOW, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia completed the withdrawal of its peacekeepers from the buffer zone bordering Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, the commander of the Russian peacekeepers in the region said Wednesday.

    "The personnel of all six checkpoints has left Georgia and has arrived in South Ossetia. The last subdivision arrived at 8:30 p.m. Moscow time (1630 GMT). Our peacekeepers were escorted by representatives from the European Union," Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

    "Together with Georgian officials we have measured the background radiation and examined the area of posts. The ecological situation is normal, and no explosive items have been found," the general said.

    Meanwhile, Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili confirmed that Russian forces had pulled out from the southern border of the security zone in South Ossetia.

    Russian troops have been deployed in Georgian territories since the end of a five-day conflict, which broke out after Georgia launched a sudden attack against South Ossetia on Aug. 8 to reclaim control over the region. Russia sent in troops the next day and defeated the Georgian forces.

    Under a France-brokered cease-fire pact, Russia agreed to pull its troops out from undisputed parts of Georgia by Oct. 10, leaving them in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway regions of Georgia, which Moscow recognized as independent states on Aug. 26.

    Earlier in the day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a conference in France that Russian peacekeeping forces will complete withdrawal from the buffer zones around South Ossetia and Abkhazia on Wednesday.

Russian soldiers withdraw from a checkpoint near South Ossetia Oct. 8, 2008